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August 03, 2013

Why, when to use messaging middleware
There can be overlap with workflow systems and traditional batch-scheduling systems. These systems' core focus is orchestration and keeping track of where things are in a long running process. The workflow system may not perform any processing itself, but instead will act as the master delegator to the people, integration platforms or general purpose computing platforms that handle the units of work required.

Functional GUI Testing Automation Patterns
Any application at a certain moment of time with specific input data can exist in only one specific state. According to such a definition we can picture the software program as a finite state machine (finite automaton). Considering this fact and the availability of state and transition models (Figure 1 as an example) we can define certain sets of transitions (workflows) between pages that would cover most of the program’s functionality.

SaaS contracts too often lack security specifics
"Contractually, very little security language appears in the body of SaaS contracts," Gartner analysts Jay Heiser and Alexa Bona wrote in the report. "Typically the security section contains little more than platitudes, stating that the provider will use 'commercially reasonable efforts to establish and maintain security safeguards.' These are often declared to be 'in line with industry standards,' which are mostly never defined."

Colocation - Key Considerations for Selection of Service Provider
The benefits of going for colocation service include effective use of capital and having higher quality facilities through power redundancy, cooling, and scalability/growth. Choosing a colocation provider is a strategic business decision that evolves from thoughtful consideration certain key parameters. More over, the partnership with the colocation service provider need a multi-year commitment from both.

Hackers to NSA chief: Read the Constitution
It was a far cry from when Alexander kicked off DefCon 20 with a keynote speech last year. There's a lot of crossover between Black Hat and DefCon attendees, the general spoke on Wednesday in his official uniform. This would be a more serious presentation. Over the ensuing 45 minutes or so, Alexander described in broad terms how Section 702 of the FISA Amendment Act and Section 215 of the Patriot Act affect governmental intelligence gathering in the U.S.

An Extensive Glossary of Big Data Terminology
Big data comes with a lot of new terminology that is sometimes hard to understand. Therefore we have created an ABC of big data that should give some insights. Some of the definitions refer to a corresponding blog post. Of course this big data glossary is not 100% complete, so please let us know if there are missing terminology that you would like to see included.

GM’s plan to turn the car into a smartphone on wheels
GM’s not just talking about letting audio streaming and simple location-based services apps into the dashboard, it’s planning to expose engine and vehicle data and even its OnStar telematics features to its developer community. That means app builders can get access to the inner workings and technologies on an unprecedented scale, much like a smartphone or developer can delve into the core features of an Android or iOS device.

The state of business process execution language (BPEL) in 2013
In the last five years, BPEL hasn't undergone any major changes, but it has received more mature support from vendors. The support hasn't come without a price, but if developers use BPEL for automating technological processes and eschew excessive customization, they can overcome some common problems with the technology, experts say.

Data Center Innovator Ken Brill Dies At 68Brill is also credited with technical innovations, including the introduction of dual power supplies for servers, which ensures a server keeps running if one power supply fails. He was awarded a patent for the invention in 2000 but never sought to profit from it, according to Kudritzki. "He was motivated by the desire for constant improvement," he said. "That's what drove him." -- RIP

Disrupting What We Think We Know About Disruptive InnovationThe human brain, or more specifically the neo-cortex, is designed to recognize patterns and draw conclusions from them. Experts are able to identify such patterns related to a specific problem relevant to their area of knowledge. But because non-experts lack that base of knowledge, they are forced to rely more on their brain’s ability for abstraction, rather than specificity.

Quote for the day:“If we did all the things we were capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” -- Thomas A. Edison